What's up with ADV again? (part XX)

[oogi2000]

Originally Posted by Lego

Well we don't know the distribution channels in Australia or how big Red Ant is. Manga Ent. released the original movies, and they could afford it with their Starz parent company.

Speaking of Rialto, they initially released DVDs through Paramount Australia, with many of their titles sporting non-anamorphic transfers and DD 2.0 audio. OldBoy was a notable title given such a bare bones treatment.

Based from this, many were surprised that they picked up EVA 1.01 instead of Madman Entertainment.

[Lego]

Originally Posted by oogi2000

Speaking of Rialto, they initially released DVDs through Paramount Australia, with many of their titles sporting non-anamorphic transfers and DD 2.0 audio. OldBoy was a notable title given such a bare bones treatment.

Based from this, many were surprised that they picked up EVA 1.01 instead of Madman Entertainment.

While I don't normally follow Australian entertainment companies, I could of sworn I saw a press release saying that Madman was bought recently, that could be it. As for ADV(to kick it back on topic a little), I'm wondering if they'll have a presence at Anime Expo this year. This years Expo is shaping up to be the big convention of the year with the companies and possible announcements. I'd be surprised if they'd miss it.

[hikaru004]

Here's some info on Rialto. A non-anime distributor is picking up an anime title. Madman Ent. controls 97% of the anime market apparently.

Edit: Here's the article Lego was referring to. The reference article tells how bad of a shape Madman's parent is truly in.

[One Vorlon]

Originally Posted by dragonrider_cody

Yeah, but it still would have come down to profits. I(f) EoE really cost $1 milllion to license, ADV would have had to sell over 60,000 copies just break even on the licensing cost. (Assuming a 50% wholesale mark up, and an MSRP of $30) Plus, add the costs of dubbing, marketing, packaging and distribution. And don't forget those wonderful retailer returns. ADV would have had to sell close to 100,000 copies just to turn a profit. Anime almost never sells in that quantity. Even DragonBall Z has only been selling around 50-60 thousand copies per season.

. . .

For a small company like ADV, they made the right choice. EoE just wasn't worth the cost. And I doubt for any of the current anime players, that the new Evangelion would be either.

As far as I know, our only primary source for the ($1 million per movie) Eva licensing fee is a post made by John Sirabella during the ADV-Sojitz dispute. And in that same post, he also stated that there was bad blood between himself and the Japanese rights holder, which he thought was a major influence on the price he was being quoted. If he was right, then ADV (or anyone else who tries license them) could get them for a substantially lower price.

That being said, no one is going to license the Eva movies for a song, no matter how good the relationships are. The original Neon Genesis Evangelion has been a major cash cow for ADV for years, and even cursory research by a single (English speaking) intern would quickly reveal a lot of R1 interest in the movies. So the Japanese rights holders are going to unleash their most cutthroat negotiators and lawyers to squeeze every last concession they can.

Originally Posted by Wrath of the Njr

. . .
I don't think anything is a second Eva, except Rebuild. Rahxephon should be, but was wasted. . .

Although Rahxephon is one of my favorite series, I'm afraid I have to disagree - Rahxephon was never going to be as big as Neon Genesis Evangelion in the U.S. For all of its flaws, Neon Genesis set the standard for mecha series with religious/philosphical underpinnings, and Rahxephon will aways be seen as a Johnny-Come-Lately.

Furthermore, several aspects of the series almost guarantee that it wouldn't be as popular as Neon Genesis - the emphasis on intricate character relationships & personal development, the deemphasis on pitched combat, and its more esoteric mythology (Aztec rather than Christian) - translate into a series thats very hard to get into unless you've been paying serious attention from the first episode. On the other hand, Neon Genesis's "mythology" should be familiar to most R1 viewers, it has a number of episodes featuring pitched battles that require little understanding of the series to enjoy (which is a good way to hook new viewers), and the relationships are fairly easy to grasp. So Neon Genesis has a much easier time hooking casual fans than Rahxephon does.

So while I think Rahxephon is an incredible show (and I recommend that all Neon Genesis fans take a look at it), I don't think that it ever had a chance to equal (or eclipse) the success that Neon Genesis still enjoys.

[NewtypeCJ]

Looks like ADV is having an auction today --

From http://www.windsorauction.com/auction.asp :
Thurs., June 26 at 10:00 am:
Consolidation of Large Video / DVD Co.
10501 Kipp Way Dr., Suite 300, Houston, TX
Very large quantity of oak, walnut & Ikea style office furniture, computers, servers, phones, etc.

Photobucket of some of the items -- http://s164.photobucket.com/albums/u...ction/ADVIDEO/

Yes that is the address of ADV's warehouse. http://www.yellowbot.com/ad-vision-inc-houston-tx.html

[VinceA]

I guess that doesn't bode well for one of my favorite licensors....

[The Great Bear]

Originally Posted by NewtypeCJ

Looks like ADV is having an auction today --

From http://www.windsorauction.com/auction.asp :
Thurs., June 26 at 10:00 am:
Consolidation of Large Video / DVD Co.
10501 Kipp Way Dr., Suite 300, Houston, TX
Very large quantity of oak, walnut & Ikea style office furniture, computers, servers, phones, etc.

Photobucket of some of the items -- http://s164.photobucket.com/albums/u...ction/ADVIDEO/

Yes that is the address of ADV's warehouse. http://www.yellowbot.com/ad-vision-inc-houston-tx.html

The shoe finally drops…

[WTK]

Yeah, that doesn't sound very good. I guess we know soon enough where ADV is heading...

[something]

Originally Posted by NewtypeCJ

Looks like ADV is having an auction today --

Ok, so the poster in the AX thread was being serious about the auction. Wish people would state information like that in a more detailed/helpful manner, just as you have. So, signing interesting deals for TAN while selling office furniture elsewhere. What ADV will look like come this time next month, nobody knows. Clearly something is happening, at the least (though we can't really guess what, exactly), and hopefully we won't need to wait more than ~8-9 days to know.

As I said before, I'm long past having any kind of strong reaction to the possibility of ADV's death/liquidation. We've been prepared for this potential scenario for awhile now. All I want is to know either way. So here's hoping for honest and detailed information at AX, whether good, bad, or mixed.

[karen0586]

Originally Posted by The Great Bear

The shoe finally drops…

For some reason, that felt totally appropriate. It seems like we're at least getting some confirmation of things that are going on 'behind the scenes'.